Mixed martial arts on Tuesday officially went above board in this state, the South Dakota Athletic Commission adopting its baseline set of policies and approving the first-ever sanctioned event during a teleconference.

All that remains is for the state to approve a promoter’s license, something that should happen in the next day or two, according to commission executive secretary Jennifer Stalley.

It’s a matter of timing in terms of creating finalized forms rather than any sort of delinquency on the part of the promoter, she said. Then tickets can go on sale and marketing can begin.

So after years of controversy and a longer-than-expected setup process, MMA in South Dakota will make its legitimate debut in RFA 17, an 11-card event that will air nationally on AXS TV.

“We need to get our feet wet,” commissioner Mike Kilmer said during the call. “I think they’re a great asset. They’ve been in business for a while in several other locations. I believe that we need to get started, and I believe we have the manpower to get it done on (Aug. 22).”

The RFA bills itself as the unofficial development league of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the top circuit in MMA. Its most recent event was Saturday in the Denver area.

This is an unusually short lead up, about half the normal amount of time.

But that didn’t deter RFA president Ed Soares or local connection Dave Martin – both well-known MMA managers – from pressing forward. They’ve been putting together bouts, sponsorships and fight-related events behind the scenes while awaiting the official go ahead.

“It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it is what it is,” Martin said. “I think a lot of people in the community are excited about the caliber of card we’re bringing to the table. Hopefully, we’ll get a good turnout, set the bar for the commission on what type of promotions they should be looking for.”

To that end, the commission also approved another promotion – Caged Aggression – for Aug. 4-5, 2015 in conjunction with the Sturgis motorcycle rally. An exact location has yet to be set. There’s still plenty of time per the organizational policies accepted Tuesday.

The basics: A venue has to be approved 14 days in advance of a card; health insurance and death-benefit coverage must be filed for each participant at least five days in advance; and there can’t be more than three sanctioned events per month.

That applies to MMA and boxing as the commission – part of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – will oversees both sports.

Martin said that he “couldn’t be happier” with the requirements. That’s to be expected – most in the MMA community have welcomed the creation of the commission as a way to eliminate the stigma that has shadowed the sport here since its unregulated beginnings in hotel ballrooms.

A new era is on the way. It’ll begin in less than a month with a nationally televised card in a $19 million venue.

“I’m excited about being able to do the event in your state with the new commission in place,” RFA chief operating officer Sven Bean said during the call. “Hopefully, once we do our event there we can kind of be the barometer for you. We pride ourselves on running a very professional event.”